Saturday, July 28, 2012

Friday Funday!

It's the last Friday before school starts back for my little 1st grader.  Am I seriously old enough to have a 1st grader?
I was determined to make this day fun.  I've spent most of the summer trying to make days they will never forget.  There are certain summer childhood memories I keep and I want the boys to remember their summers fondly also.  I specifically remember my mom taking me swimming.  It was the most fun I could have and I could do it for hours.  We try to swim any chance we get.  We have needed a haircut every day for, oh, about a month now but every day we plan to get haircuts, someone calls and asks us to swim and we decide haircuts can wait another day.  No one ever remembered the time they went to get their haircut!

Today we woke up and made blueberry pancakes with fresh picked blueberries.  We topped them with REAL maple syrup.  There was no time to make photos of them, they were devoured!
We made a quick trip to the gym. It was a necessity,  No good pancake goes unpunished!

After the gym, we had a little pre-pool picnic at my friend Stephanie's pool.  There is no doubt lunch has been consumed out of that lunch box more than at home this summer.  That's when you know you've had a good time!

  The pool was refreshing, in a bath water sorta way but the kids were off on fun hand standing, back flipping, swim to me adventures.  No photo collage would be complete without a pic of Lincoln crying.



   After 2 hours of more fun that we could stand at the pool, we picked up a papa murphy's pizza for dinner.  They are 4 bucks on Friday's and I can't cook anything that cheap or that good!  Next up on the Friday Funday agenda was a stop in our favorite froyo place.  Sweet CeCe's was having a fund raiser for our YMCA (ironic, I know!) so we patronized them with a cup of frozen yogurt for each of us.





  We stopped by a redbox and picked up a copy of Mirror, Mirror that I had reserved earlier before going home for naps and showers.  We were then invited to an Olympic Ceremonies Viewing party at my friend Stephanie's house.  Several girls from church have husbands on a mens retreat so we all got together like a deployed spouses club to watch the 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  There was a grand total of 8 moms and 15 children between us.  Sure, it was chaotic but there was dip...and wine.  Most of the kids began their meltdowns right about 8pm so we all made our exits.



 My two put on pajamas and we watched a thrilling episode of fear factor before putting one in his own bed and one asking to sleep in mine.  Oh well, it IS Friday Funday after all and I'm pretty sure one day too soon, sleeping in my bed won't be so cool.  Cherish the time.

Monday, July 16, 2012

I've Been Schooled

 After the earth was scorched from days of record heat, Nashville has been getting some pretty significant storms rolling through.  Recently, the boys and I went outside and sat on the front porch and watched the storm roll in.  I was pondering and hoping to engage them in conversation so I said, "Have you ever noticed how dark and black the storm clouds are when they are rolling in but when the rain starts falling heavy and it's right on top of you, it doesn't look dark anymore.  I wonder why that is?"

Jackson perked up and said "oooh, I know!  You see, when the clouds are building up, they are collecting all the water inside them and they become hard as a brick.  Then when they can't hold anymore water, they burst open and it rains.  Then that rain goes into the ground and the oceans and is evaporated back up into the clouds.  That is called the water cycle.

My mouth hung open for a second before I collected myself and asked him where he learned that.  He said he'd learned it in school.  Kindergarten to be exact.

It was more than a proud mom moment.  I was dancing in the rain over the fabulous school choice we made and how wonderful it is to have your child tell you something you didn't even know yourself.  Now what in the world am I going to do when he's bringing home algebra and functions in 4th grade!



After Jackson read a book to us (and this was no "easy reader" book either) before bed, I read the next book about animals in the woods.  One page had a monarch butterfly.  It had the caterpillar too so we talked about it.  I did a little point and tell me on the caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly.  Then I said "Do you know what it is when it's inside the cocoon?  Thinking I was going to be the smart and interesting mom...Jackson spoke up and said "Yes, it's a chrysalis!"

I ain't got nothing on that boy.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

First Impressions


So me, myself and I boarded a plane for BIG TEXAS.  Jason has spent the last 7 weeks here in Houston working and I had planned to come out and see him.  Living with a roommate, we didn't think the guy would appreciate 2 LOUD kids coming to visit so we let the boys stay at Camp NanaPawpaw while I'm gone.  I can't say I was sad to leave them for a few days.  This temporary single parenting ain't easy.  I am grateful daily that this is only for the summer and not for a year!
I'll admit, it was strange to fly  without my entourage.  I'm used being loaded down and armed with movies and snacks to mute the LOUD little people that usually follow me when I enter the jetway with "family boarding" and watching as people roll their eyes hoping I didn't sit beside them!  That didn't happen this time, or at least I don't think anyone rolled their eyes when I sat down.
Jason was able to get off early to come and get me, I only had a short wait time.  I waited inside baggage claim and only exited when he told me he was in the pick-up line.  I walked to the curb with all my luggage and caught a glimpse of an incredible hunk of a guy wearing a suit and tie and driving a pick up truck.  This was my kind of man, I was going home with HIM! Then it him me.  The HEAT.  I realized how sweltering hot it was underneath the eaves of the airport baggage claim.  I automatically assumed it was the back draft of all those air conditioning vents it takes to cool the gigantic airport.  It couldn't actually BE that hot outside with such extreme drafts of hot air.  Yes, it must be the industrial heat coming from underneath the building.  After kissing the man of my dreams, I asked him, "Is it this HOT up there?"  He laughed and said "Up where?"  I told him I meant out from under the building.  He laughed again and said,"No, it's not...It's probably HOTTER!"  Now I was expecting it to be hot.  Really hot.  But I had just left Nashville with temps approaching 101 and 102 this week.  It was hot where I was too.  BUT NOT THIS HOT!  It is a different hot and humid.  MORE so and with a hot wind blowing that you just can't get away from.  I had a fun time imagining what my daddy would say about this extreme heat.  He tends to exaggerate the weather a bit a LOT so this would push him over the edge!  So if you need clarification, it was HOT when I arrived.  
One of the first few things I noticed about Houston is I was expecting BIG and it was but it was far more spread out than I anticipated.  Flying in, I was looking for "downtown" where Jason works and I spotted a group of high rises and immediately thought that was it.  But as the plane got lowered, I saw another larger group of high rises and assumed that was downtown but then in the distance I saw yet another larger group of high rises.  I was a little confused.  There were pockets of high rises scattered around the city.  Amidst those, there were single solitary high rises randomly placed among houses and apartments.  It was a strange appearance from the air and I had lots of questions.  Jason said it was different energy corridors and that makes sense but it's still interesting to see.  We came back to Jason's place which is over near the galleria area (yet to be visited...soon!)  I gave myself a pat on the back for scoring him a place not too far from work in a very affordable place!  It's pretty nice too.  He can't complain.  We were both approaching hungry and had already decided to indulge in Tex Mex for the full Texas experience.  We had decided on Guadalajara and it was a place nearby.  As we walked in, Jason mentioned he would get guacamole but not the "made at the table kind" because it was more expensive.  I protested and asked "is it that powdered kind of guac, you know the flavored sour cream kind?"  He laughed at me again and said "no, here everything is fresh and good, don't worry!"
He was right.  We arrived in time for happy hour margaritas (yes 2!).  We ordered guacamole and it arrived as a plate of chopped avocados with all the good stuff sprinkled on top.  I had quick flashbacks to our days at the Excellence resort in Mexico.  There, the guac was so good, I would enter what we called a guacamole coma in the afternoons after consuming so much of it!  It was a great memory.  One I decided right then and there to recreate one day!  After the guacamole was long gone, we ordered and they deliveered more food than I could have expected to eat.  They do say everything is bigger in Texas.  It may be true!  My plate included 2 palm size pieces of steak, chicken, portabella mushroom, onion and squash.  Alongside it was 2 grilled bacon wrapped shrimp and a fantastic butter sauce that made me sigh a little too loudly.  It was fantastic!  I didn't even come close to consuming it all but that just means I get to re-live my culinary experience at lunch time!
After dinner, I got the driving tour of Houston.  Jason lives just across the 610 from the Houston Galleria.  I'm pretty excited about the opportunities that holds for my shopping addiction.  He's probably not aware of the damage that can happen with that proximity.  He drove the other way down Westheimer showing me all of the upscale shopping areas that included the largest anthropologie and restoration hardware that I have ever witnessed.  I'm talking 3 stories folks!  I also got to see some of the thrift/vintage stores that I've been reading about shopping at so I know where I'm headed next week!  We arrived in midtown and I got to see some of the favorite hangouts in H-town along with the building Jason works in.  It stands alongside 2 larger glass buildings that were former Enron buildings.  We even got to give a friendly wave to the local angry homeless guy on their corner.  
We actually went to bed relatively early (guacamole coma) and although I woke when Jason left for work, I was able to snooze until an hour I'm not sure I've seen in possibly the last 5 years.  You won't hear me complain.  
Overall, my first impression was a pretty good one.  I always thought I could like it here and from the current looks of it, I think I'm right.  Sure, it's HOT and the traffic is significant but it has promise and the possibility of a job Jason loves so I think I could get used to it!  

Day 2:  This addendum comes at my expense.  Feel free to laugh if you want.  I did, when it was over.
Jason lives 1.7 miles from the Houston Galleria.  I felt pretty certain I could cross UNDER the 6 lane highway and weave my way through the traffic to get to a mall.  I mean, I was born to shop!  So with my phone GPS utterly useless in finding parking decks, I did what any shopaholic would do.  I looked for the Macy's and took a left.  It was in fact a parking deck.  I wasn't certain that Jason's truck was going to fit but it squeezed by and after making a couple of rounds up the deck, I found a place I could strong arm that truck into without it sticking out into the driving lane.  I was feeling pretty proud of my first solo outing in Houston driving.  Then I got out of the truck.  I locked the doors and made a photo of my parking location (saw that and thought it was a GREAT tip!) and started walking toward the .....um, well, I knew I was in the mall parking lot but there were NO signs leading to the mall.  I knew not to go down but right or left?  Your guess was as good as mine.  I wandered down one isle until I knew it was wrong and then turned around.  I thought the driving part was going to be hard but apparently it's finding the entrance that's the real challenge.  A man was returning to his car and had seen me wandering by.  On our second chance meeting, he asked me, "Are you lost?  You look lost What are you trying to find?"  Sheepishly, I had to admit, I just wanted to find the ENTRANCE to the mall.  The big scary parking deck had me all turned around and I couldn't find my way in.  How was I ever to find my way home?  Oh well, I guess I could worry about that later.  There was a gigantic mall waiting for me!  Gigantic it was.  Complete with more high dollar stores than Green Hills  (in Nashville) has ever dreamed of!  It also boasts 3 stories and a full size ice skating rink.See, bigger in Texas!  I spent the day there and I know I couldn't have seen every store.  The better news?  Yes, there's more!  That's not the only mall in 10 mile radius.  There are about 5, yes 5.  I've conquered 3 of them now.  Who doesn't love a place with a plethora of malls!

 Below is the random sky rise right outside of Jason's complex.  It's oh, about 50 stories and it's all by itself out here in West Houston.  Obviously, things are bigger in Texas and land is not a commodity!

Day 3 found us in Galveston.  Jason had set my expectations pretty low of this place.  It's been ransacked by hurricanes so many times that insurance is now hard to come by and the houses that were once being built are no longer, leaving it a bit of a ghost town.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I had it pictured though. It was nice but a little reminiscent of . Jersey Shore.  He took us to a seafood place that he'd boasted about before.   It was a great restaurant that had been in business a long time.  It was across the street from the stairs down to the ocean. 





 I had possibly the best (and largest, bigger in Texas!) tuna steak topped with a crawfish cream and blue cheese grits that would be a meal in itself.  A meal like that made me like the place that much more!  We had a fantastic day to go to the beach with a little rain and MUCH cooler temps that this places sees in the summer, it was a good day.  The waves were bigger but so was the huge mound of seaweed that was piled up on the beach.  We considered a trip to Pleasure Pier but we couldn't justify the cost, especially without the kids here.  They would LOVE it!  It's a pier filled with amusement park rides including a pretty big roller coaster, swings and giant farris wheel.






 We decided to walk around the historic district and it more closely resembled New Orleans with it's open doors, beer/drink in hand as you stroll the streets or sit and people watch.  It wasn't crowded or busy but leisurely and nice.  Galveston actually exceeded my expectations for an hour drive to the beach.  It ain't Destin but it'll do!

Friday, June 29, 2012

How I Met Your Father


Of course, I'm way overdue on those Cali blogs but they require more work and photoshopping than I've had time to do lately.  Coming soon to a blog near you.  Promise.  

As I prepare to leave and visit Jason in Houston, it brings me back to another time I flew to see Jason.  It was, oh, about 12 years ago.  This is one of those stories that defines "us".  I think it's worth at least the boys knowing it.  
Jason and I had been dating for about 5 months.  I was in college at Auburn and he was at West Point.  We had decided after flirting over the last year or so that we should try out this long distance relationship stuff.  What did we have to loose?  
I had actually met him about a year earlier.  I was introduced to him by our mutual friend Jack.  Yes, Jack as in the namesake of our first child.  Jack was his best friend from high school. He was also a great friend of mine in the shoals before my move to Auburn.  He told me once, "I wish you could meet my best friend Jason, I think you guys would be perfect together!"  I said I was totally game and then he said, "well, he's in New York."  Yeah, right.  This girl has hardly ever left Alabama, much less ever seen New York!  But after a few phone calls and a chance meeting on Spring Break in PCB we were an exclusive couple.  

Jason had booked (and paid for on cadet salary of $300 a month) me a flight to visit him in New York.  I was flying from Atlanta to Newark and he would pick me up there.    I was aware that there would be a delay in him picking me up; he had to rent a car to get me. 
I could hardly contain my excitement at the thought of seeing him again.  I was also feeling pretty important to be getting on a flight alone.  Previous to this, I had never traveled anywhere alone in my whole life.  I had never even touched foot outside of the 4 states that border Alabama.  True story. My parents were also unaware of my travel plans.  My roommates knew but I had a good feeling that my parents would have prevented me from flying to another state ALONE to meet a guy that they had yet to meet due to his location.  Its funny now, knowing how much they love him but then, I’m not so sure they were his biggest fans.  I can’t blame them.  It was our understanding that he was going to meet me at the food court nearest my gate.  This was pre-9/11 flying when your party could come straight to the gate to meet you!  My flight was uneventful and I got my baggage and headed back upstairs dragging it behind me.  I sat and waited for a while, studied some A&P from my summer classes and waited more.  I fully understood that he had to attend the USMA graduation ceremony, get out of post, rent a car then drive 45 minutes to the airport.  After a while, I got a little bit worried so I pulled out the calling card and used the payphone to dial up his cadet room phone.  Much to my dismay, all the cadet phones had been discontinued because it was cadet summer.  So, I had no way to get in touch with him.  I waited patiently for another few hours before I really began to get worried. 
I dared to wonder if he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to pick up that girl he’d been dating from Alabama and decided to stand me up in the airport.  I began to think I’d flown to New York for nothing.  As I wandered around the airport, I must have looked worried.  I had several concerned Middle Eastern taxi drivers offer, “where he live?  I take you there.”  To which I had to politely decline because other that at West Point, I had no idea where he lived.  I had resigned myself to the ultimate stand up of all times.  I broke down and called my roommates in AU.  I requested they get online and find out how to book me a flight home.  I would call them back when they could figure it out.  Obviously, this was a pre-“everyone has a cell phone” age.  I was in college and had an emergency only phone provided by the parents that didn’t know I was there.  I waited much longer than I had told my roommates in hopes that something would change, that he would show up for me after all.  As I wandered around dragging 2 weeks worth of wardrobe, I began to cry at my stupidity.  How could I fly somewhere and never even leave the airport? 
My despair caught the eye of many but one guy in particular was short but had a very crew cut hairstyle.  I knew it wasn’t Jason but maybe he knew Jason, knew how I could find him.  I soon realized he was walking toward me and as he approached he asked “Are you Jamie?”  He knew me?!  I said yes and before I could say another word, he said Jason has been looking for you everywhere! 
He was?  He was here?  He didn’t stand me up?  About that time, I see him round the corner and a knowing smile spread across his face.  He knew I was upset but I’m pretty sure the discontent disappeared with one hug and kiss.  It turns out, he had left graduation but with traffic, a ride to the rental car place and difficulty renting a car to a kid under age 25, he’d been longer than he expected.  My frustration faded as I finally made the call to my roommates and told them that I had in fact been picked up.  I think they were still a bit skeptical of him but knew I was in love. 
We spent the rest of the evening at Palisades Mall outside NYC.  Our first stop?  To get Jason his first cell phone so there would never again be any miscommunications to that effect. 

Here’s to the happily ever after!

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Best Kind of Father

It's father's day and I've spent the day contemplating all the fathers in my life.  It seems that they all carry a similar theme.  The BEST kind of Father displays a willingness to SACRIFICE.

Of course there's my own Daddy.  A man that daily displays the gospel for our family and deserves the utmost respect.  His advice is invaluable to me.  His stories are told and retold and then told again and I love them every single one.  There is nothing he wouldn't do for me and I know that because he's had to live it out a few times.  While living the deployment life he's taken a call from a sick daughter at 10am and booked a flight to NC and landed by 6pm to help tend to children while I recovered.  He's moved me and my kids AND my dog and cat across the southeast more than once.  He's on a 2 hour recall now that we live closer for ANYTHING I might need him for.  And it might sound like he only sacrifices in the name of grandchildren and I too have questioned that but quite the contrary.  My Dad knows a thing or two about Nashville.  He spent 18 years commuting, yes 2 hours ONE WAY, to the Ford plant here in Nashville to secure a retirement and help pay for my living through college. His sacrifice for our family has never seemed as significant as it does to me now.  He never questioned his choices, he never complained.  He sacrificed for his children and he did so with a smile.


Another Father I know has made a few sacrifices for his family.  Jason has made more sacrifices than many folks will make in a lifetime.  I know I've recalled this blog before but if you haven't read it, it's still one of my absolute favorites ever and it was my first.  Jason left his family not just once but 3 times in the name of Duty, Honor, Country.  He was committed and he lived out his commitment for his family and YOURS!  He is now choosing a change and a better life for us.  Going back to Grad school at Vanderbilt isn't for everyone.  It isn't ideal for a father with kids.  It's hard work, long hours and time away that could be spent here but he's making sacrifices that promise a better life for us and our future.  He's showing these kids of ours that hard work pays off and education is important.  He's spending the summer laying the building blocks of our future.  Sure, he'd rather be spending the summer here with us in Nashville but when he was called to sacrifice for our future, he didn't hesitate.  He ALWAYS makes the right choices for this family and I respect him so much for that.  .
I'm lucky God called him to be my husband.  I'm lucky I get to walk the minutes of this life as his wife.  I'm lucky he is willing to make sacrifices for me and for our children and of course, he does so with a smile.
(This isn't the first father's day wish over the computer, thanks technology!)



There is not enough breath or tears to describe the gratitude I feel for the ultimate sacrifice my heavenly Father made for me.  I have sons.  I KNOW what it would feel like and I don't think I could do it.  It hurts to even consider it.  What joy I have knowing I have a heavenly Father that loves me that much!  I am far from perfect, I sin, I fail and I'm a total disappointment but he loves me still.  To sacrifice his only Son on a cross for ME.   To choose ME as a daughter to spend eternity with.  He loves me, oh, he loves me!

Happy Father's Day to everyone who has been given the honor of being a Father!


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Lincoln Lately



First of all, isn’t technology great?  I’m blogging at around 40,000 feet over the middle of the United States somewhere between TN and CA.  Yes, CA.  The clampets are headed out west and that’s a whole other blog in itself.  Probably 2. 

Lincoln is no less of a pistol than the day he was born.  I wish I could say he cries less but instead, I at least know what he’s crying about now.  He, like his brother, is very articulate for a 3 year old.  He pretty much never stops talking.  Sometimes whining but always a motor mouth.  Some of the things he’s said lately have really made us laugh.  All things I never want to forget so they are provided here for my memory and your reading pleasure.

While spending some time with my parents, he had a little runny nose.  He kept asking my mom for a tennis shoe.  She asked him why he needed shoes, he was already wearing some.  He bluntly said  “to wipe my NOSE!”  I believe he was asking for a tissue.

He and Jackson have been pretending lately and he’s claiming he’s a “vampirate.”  Without asking, I assumed this was a cross between a vampire and a pirate. 

In the car recently, I asked “Lincoln, are you a little boy or a big boy?”  He answered me, “I’m NOT, I’m a good boy!”  Sure.  Matter of opinion.

We spend a lot of time at Y play and when I mentioned him going there to play with his friends, he told me “they are not my friends, they are KIDS.”  Well, I wonder what in the world he thinks he is?

Just to prove the point of how serious my dad is about church attendance, Lincoln regularly gets dressed in the morning and pretends to “go to church with Paw Paw.”  It’s the cutest thing, until I check on him and he’s rounded the neighborhood corner.

I go upstairs to shower and a few minutes later I yell down and ask Lincoln what he’s doing.  He answers, “I’m watching ‘wifetimes’.”  I translate this to he’s watching Lifetime.  I’m not sure why but I don’t put it past him so I go downstairs to check and make sure he wasn’t getting big ideas from “The hand that rocks the cradle” or some other classy lifetime movie.  I soon discover he’s watching “Little Einsteins” and not “wifetimes” or lifetime after all. 

We pass by a driving range that we pass very frequently and Lincoln asks “Mom, are they playin’ boss?”  Well, kinda.  I laughed.  No Lincoln, they are playing GOLF!

Leaving church one Sunday, I get goosebumps on my arms and Lincoln rubs my arm and says, “Mom, you have sprinkles!”

Jackson recently lost his first tooth.  It was not on my accord.  I was out and they were under the care or their father.  Jackson convinced Jason that EVERYONE in his class had already lost a tooth (not true) except him.  So they took the slightly loose tooth and attempted pulling it with a variety of methods.  The tooth was finally extracted using fishing pliers.  Yes, that’s right, fishing pliers.  After a happy visit from the tooth fairy, loosing teeth was all the buzz in our house.  I was getting ready in the bathroom one day when Lincoln begins to use my tweezers in his mouth.  I asked him what he was doing and he tells me “I’m tryin’ to get my teeth out!” 

Hold your judgments, I’m raising BOYS.  Dirty, nasty, raw, rough BOYS.  Playing with guns is just in their nature, along with aggravating each other pure crazy.  Besides, their daddy was in the army and deployed for years at a time.  He was “off shooting bad guys” so it’s kinda hard to tell them not to be like their role model.  Anyway, Lincoln is obsessed with his guns.  He has a fancy pistol that he wakes up looking for (after “breakpast”, of course).  While I was catching up on email and nursing my extra large cup of coffee Lincoln comes up and shoots me.  I pretend not to notice so he does it again.  Again, I choose to not notice when he starts whining, “Mom, please die Mom!  You neber Die!”
Wow, I didn’t expect to hear that from my 2 year old.  So out of obligation, I have a delayed reaction to the final shot and fall to the ground clutching my chest for dramatic effect.  It was well received.  He felt accomplished.  He then helped me up off the floor, handed me his gun and said, “Please shoot me, Mom.”  How do you say no to that?  And the whole dramatic scene replayed over and over again.

A recent bath held a little comic relief when he asked me for the “sand poop”.  Excuse me?  You want what?  “Mom, I weally need the sand poop.”  Ohoooooooo, you need the shampoo?!

The good news is Jackson and Lincoln can both get up and go downstairs alone and turn on the TV in the morning. We have removed the side from Lincoln’s crib since he was just climbing over everyday anyway.  The bad news is you never know what you’re going to walk down to when it’s just Lincoln.  I recently heard him up talking one morning.  I went downstairs to see what he could be talking about and to whom.  I arrive downstairs to find him naked(?) and singing to our dog Roxy.  I didn’t catch the song because Roxy bolted when she saw me.  She may have been slightly disturbed by the naked serenade as well. 

I recently started a load of clothes only to realize too late that there was a stow away motorcycle in the wash.  It’s not every day you get to see a toy motorcycle do tricks in your sudsy laundry.  I wanted to get a pic of it but I was too busy checking the oven for foreign objects.

Lincoln has began storytelling.  He loves to tell you a story.
 He’ll say “Let me tell you a story.”
He starts out low and dramatic…
-One day, there was a Monster upstairs and I took my gun (pause)
And I  just KILL it! (yelling)
He’s got the dialect down for sure.  Every story he tells has the same plot.  Occasionally there are different locations (such as downstairs) or different characters (such as a ghost) or different weapons but every time it’s the same out come. 

Another day, another brotherly fight.  Jackson is aggravating Lincoln about something in the car and I tell Jackson “Don’t argue with him, he’s little.” to which Lincoln replies “I’m NOT wittle, I’m just….small.”  Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff.

Nashville has a newspaper, The Contributor, that is for distribution sold by formerly homeless individuals to give them a better chance at living on their own.  It’s like a shared business where they buy the papers and sell them for a higher amount.  It’s a great idea and we have been supporting it after Jason did a research paper on it for school.  Our local guy stands at our corner and sells most days of the week for hours a day.  He writes thank you on the bottom of each of our papers and signs his name.  His name is Luther.  At Christmas, Luther wears a Rudolph nose, at Easter, he wears bunny ears.  He’s entertaining to the kids and they LOVE to hand him the dollar we give him for the paper.  They always yell “LUTHER” when they see him and we pass by.  Now, whenever Jackson is not with us, Lincoln has picked up and started yelling “LUFER!” to our friendly neighborhood Contributor distributor. 

Lincoln has become more than a little obsessed with “gumball money.”  He’ll take every quarter you own and claim it as his “gumball money”.  The things he will do for gumball money might surprise you.  He’ll obey orders, hold his tongue or act appropriately in a store, all for the hope of gumball money.  I’ll be honest, it’s the best 25 cents I spend.  I’m just hoping he doesn’t catch on soon and up the ante. 

Watching TV again ( he doesn’t just do it all the time!) I walked by and asked Lincoln what he was watching.  He told me he was watching “the muffins.”  I thought it was cute.  We had borrowed “The Muppets” from friends and he didn’t know any difference. 

This boy bounces out of bed and immediately demands to put his clothes on.  He has some favorite outfits too and he strongly prefers them.  He took one set out of dirty clothes recently and came to the top of the stairs naked and demanded to wear them.  I told him they were dirty and we couldn’t wear them today.  He said (yelled) “Well….you need to take them to the DRY CLEANERS then.” 
So, what exactly does he know about the dry cleaners? 

And just a couple of Jacksonisms to note:
He recently made a friend at the pool and I asked him “What was your friends name?”  He said, “I dunno, we just called each other Dude!”  Well, I guess that works too.

On the subject of loosing teeth, he tells me Mr. Eddie doesn’t have any teeth.  I ask who Mr. Eddie is and he tells me he’s the man that cleans the school.  I was going to teach a life lesson by asking “Why do you think Mr. Eddie doesn’t have his teeth?”  He answers, “He probably pulled all of them out because he wanted more money from the tooth fairy!”  I’m laughing but I want to see where this is going so I ask why he needed so much money that he pulled his teeth out.  He told me, “To buy our school, Mom!” 

So there you have it.  

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Treehouses of Summer at Cheekwood!


What better way to spend the last day of May than checking out treehouses at Cheekwood.  We had been waiting for this exhibit and I can tell you it didn't disappoint and we will be back!  The treehouses are all literay based.  The first we visited was called "The Giver".  It was abstract and multi colored.  It was vibrant and had a fun slide to go down.
Next up was "The Walden".  It was an adorable wooden crafted house with lots of nostalgic toys inside.  It also had a loft you could climb up to and a perfect swing underneath.  This would have most definitely been the playhouse of my childhood dreams.  It possible still is.

The "Jolly Roger" was a pretty big hit with the kiddos.  It had a flag to wave, a wheel to steer and what boy doesn't dream of being a pirate at some point.  It was really well done, I liked the apple basket they had cut and secured to the tree like it was the bucket on the mast.  Clever folks built these treehouses, no doubt about that!

After the pirates came down from the high seas, we decided to eat our lunch.  We looked around intently to find the perfect picnic spot.  It's been a thing for Jackson and I to find the perfect picnic spot after reading "The Bernstein Bears Picnic" many times over.  That was always one of my favorite books as a child.  We did actually find the perfect picnic spot, right along the creek, under a tree with a waterfall nearby.  It couldn't get much more perfect if you'd had truffle cheese on your ham sandwich (and I did!).
Next the boys took off running down the hill to this masterpiece.  The ropes for this were tied high up in the surrounding trees and were made of beautiful pastels.  Much thought went into this design to have children safely suspended over the water!

And now for our FAVORITE treehouse.  I think this was an overall favorite for almost everyone.  It was breathtaking.  Shinning from the reflection of thousands of CD's, "Rainbow Fish" made a big impact on everyone!  It just glimmered in the sunlight and the colors shone like a real rainbow.  Inside, you could walk around for hours perusing the recycled CD's used in making this majestic creature come to life.  The boys loved playing inside this one.  It was the only one we visited twice.

This was inside the rainbow fish.  I may or may not have threatened to leave to get this adorable pic of them.  It's not that uncommon to use threats though and apparently it works so power on!
The fish had plastic bubble eyes perfect for checking the outside from within.

Next, we visited "The Hobbit".  I have never read this book.  I was intimidated by it's length when I was younger and now it's probably just not my genre but I'd read it to the kids.  Jackson likes long books.  This treehouse had a long, fast slide but it was pretty warm in the 1pm sun!
Lastly, we visitied the Conch.  It was in a part of the gardens we'd never explored.  It was a newly renovated area since we were last there.  The Conch was a neat treehouse.  We were getting a little tired since it was our last one so we didn't stay too long here.
Silly Lincoln stopped for a rest.  He flashed his best smile for me (and the promise of water).

 This is one of our favorite parts of the permanent gardens.  It's the Japanese Garden.  You walk down a trail and through a bamboo forest until you come upon a large overhang where you can see the trees and rocks.  A sign tells you about the garden and how it is only supposed to be viewed from this one vantage point and it's suggests that the rocks are the water and the trees are clouds.  Jackson loved imagining what the elements really were and the mystery in that it was only visible from this one point.  Determined to prove them wrong (he's a literal kid) he wandered out onto the hill and proclaimed that he could see the zen garden from here too.  He's all right brain, all the time.
After a long HOT stroll around the back side of the garden and past some creepy man/rabbit statue that Lincoln was terrified of, we finally got to the glass bridge.  While visiting the restroom, Jackson saw the flyer for the glass bridge that we'd never seen before.  He's a conquer also and we just HAD to see the bridge.  We had to walk a pretty long way and all of us were beginning to question the decision when we finally arrived!  It was a really cool bridge.  


The boys and I had a great time at Cheekwood Gardens.  It was a great way to kick off the summer of FUN!  We've got to get it in while we can with Jackson beginning back August 1.  Botanical Gardens and picnics...that's what summers are made of!  
I hope these are the days they remember, the ones I'll never forget!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Pfunky Mother's Day

When it's mother's day and your husband isn't in town, you know you have to take yourself out to eat if anyone does.  The kids are too small to do any breakfast in bed maneuvers.  Even if their father was home, he's not the morning person in the family so breakfast might be a stretch but coffee, he could handle that!  So we got up and dressed quickly to head across Nashville to a place I'd been hearing about.
The Pfunky Griddle.
I knew it was probably more of a "kid place" than a nice place to go for mother's day but I figured I could call it celebrating the ones who made me a "mom"!
It was a rainy 20 minute drive to a small house in Berry Hill.  When I say rain, I kinda mean torrential downpours.  We walk in and attempt to dry off at the table.  There is a griddle in front of us and this is where we are going to be cooking our own pancakes with our chosen toppings.  Want an egg?  You'll have to cook that too!  She brought us white and wheat pancake mix and let us get to it.  I chose blueberries, Jackson had chocolate chips and I got Lincoln peaches.  Of course the boys wanted to help flip the pancakes but it wasn't super easy and I didn't want anyone to get burned so I suggested they just watch.  I did allow them to spread butter, lots of butter on their pancakes.  It's all you can eat but when it comes to pancakes, a few is just about all I can eat.








Flip when you see bubbles!


Me and the ones responsible for making me "mom".  It's the best job I never knew I wanted.  I didn't realize I could be so content and fulfilled staying home with these guys.  Now I couldn't imagine any other way.  It was a great mother's day breakfast, even if I did have to cook it myself because at the end of the day it's not the cooking I dislike.

It's the cleaning up afterwards!  
 Jason was kidding me about paying money to cook my own pancakes.  I'll be the first to admit, I paid that $20 to simply not clean up
 THIS!
And it was worth every penny!  
Happy Mother's Day to me!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

One Saturday in History



It's our first Saturday at home without Jason here.  I distinctly remembered immediately how much weekends can suck during "deployments".  This one was no different.  It was slow and boring except there were 2 children at home to annoy me instead of the usual little one!  I'm still in denial about summer without school.  These are the days I'm grateful we  begin  a year round schedule this year!
 We started out the  Saturday afternoon with a trip to the Nashville Farmer's Market.  I simply LOVE this place.  I had gotten peaches a few weeks ago and WOW!  they were good.  So I needed more.  After we purchased the local produce, we got our favorite popcicles in the world.  They are sold at an international foods market inside the farmers market.  They don't look like much made from plastic solo cups but I can promise you they taste a little like heaven!

 Then we headed a little further away.  Jackson woke up asking to go to The Hermitage.  He's been asking to go ever since he did his president's report on Andrew Jackson.  He did a great job and we all learned a lot about Andrew Jackson including that he was from Nashville and his house was here.  I couldn't deny the child a chance to learn about history and today was as good as any.  Besides, it closed in a couple of hours and they boys would be exhausted by then!
The grounds was bigger than I expected and we did a lot of walking around.  They boys were good and actually intrested.  They give you free headsets to listen to the commentation and Jackson would actually listen while Lincoln mostly wore his for show.  

 We took a LONG walk around the creek and though the woods.  It had began to rain and we spotted deer in this wheat field.  I also filled my purse with wheat berries because I've been dying to try growing wheat seeds and it's been impossible to find it!  I know, I know but seriously I think there was plenty!


 I enjoyed learning that this is the original color of the dinning room.  The color was chosen because it reflects light the best when lit by candle which was the only light source after dark.  Maybe I'll paint my next dining room this color.

 Here's our guy, Andrew Jackson.  Right there on the $20 bill.

 The house was beautiful, interesting and historic but nothing beats simply spending time with my boys!


These are the days they'll remember.  These are the days I never want to forget.